1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for upper body exercise, or specifically to devices for exercising arms and upper torso during walking or jogging.
It is well known that unless a person is in some type of profession or sport which uses the arms continuously, for example, a painter, an orchestra leader, or a basketball player, one's arms usually never get enough exercise. The evidence is clear, for example, when swimming tires us out, the fatigue is usually not in the legs but in the arms and thorax. The fatigue in long sets of tennis is more often felt in the shoulder than in the pelvis and even the arms of a professional boxer tire more easily than his legs.
Enough data is available for physiologists to agree that lower body exercises, as epitomized by jogging, may not be the be-all and end-all of exercise, but they also do not agree that arm exercise alone is sufficient, even when the definition is expanded to include the muscle groups of the back, shoulders and chest. In conclusion, the best exercise programs available include both arm and leg exercises. Cross country skiing has been long counted as an ultimate exercise. Swimming has been called the best all around exercise and rowers have shown time and time again to have high oxygen uptake values.
The essential point when prescribing exercise is to have people use a large amount of muscle mass and in that respect a device for upper body exercise during jogging or brisk walking is considered ideal.
One of the benefits of jogging and brisk walking is that it enhances cardiac output and improves the efficiency of the heart and coronary vessel. Evidence indicates that supervised or regulated jogging or brisk walking is beneficial to the heart. It is known that jogging or brisk walking thickens the heart wall muscle allowing the heart to function and perform better.
And the notion is the same with vigorous arm exercising, which is to develop the upper muscle group for better coordination, efficiency and health.
Further, in cardiac rehabilitation it was discovered that roughly 60-80% of ones maximum exercise heart rate would increase cardiac reserve and efficiency by improving maximum oxygen uptake and that this target heart rate elevation could be achieved by vigorous arm movement while jogging or briskly walking.
There are many exercising devices for eye-hand and eye-foot coordination. One of the known devices has a rather large ball for kicking which is attached to a long elastic strap and is positionably secured around a user's neck or waist such that the ball may be kicked, swinging outwardly away from the player's foot and back toward his foot where it may be kicked again, the process being repeated by the player in an attempt to record a number of successive kicks.
Another device is made in the form of a head band having a ball secured thereon by a long elastic strap for punching or striking with the paddle in an attempt to establish a record number of successive hits.
All of these devices suffer from the same disadvantages: they do not allow for a controlled exercise by the use of the hands while allowing one to jog or walk briskly at the same time.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device for exercising the arms or upper torso while allowing the exerciser to walk briskly or jog without hindrance or obstruction by the upper torso exercising device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an upper torso exercise device for use while walking or jogging which is easily positioned and removed upon completion of the exercise.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an exercise device which is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
Other objects of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the following description of the invention.